A Statue of Her
by JumpingShips
Summary: The Starship Rangers are but three remaining. The others have went their separate ways while Up, Taz and Krayonder continue to serve the Galactic League. But what hardships will they face when the ones they are most loyal to prove to be their worst enemy?
1. Chapter 1: Checking In

**Chapter 1 : Checking In**

* * *

><p>The automatic check-in station and it's glittering array of sensors signaled the Starship 22D3 that civilization was very near. Interstellar travel was monotonous at best to just about everyone. Sometimes a few individuals would enjoy the view of the moving portrait of stars far and near, allured to fanciful moods by either simple imagination or to philosophical ideas. Or for Commander Up, just something to gaze at blankly as his mind moved into auto-pilot.<p>

The next objective called for a drop-off in the Tau Ceti system on the warm planet Eupraxia, a cultural hub of thirty-six million people. The military presence there was somewhat less than the other planets, and Up wondered the purpose of this objective. He had the goods yes, but the mundane nature of these kinds of missions annoyed him more than anything.

A heavy brow creased as firm hands jostled the controls and stayed the ships course as it floated uninterrupted through a series of beacons flanking either side. They turned from yellow to bright green as each pair of floating sensors passed by. The colors could be seen in Up's eyes if one were to be looking in them. His visage was masked in shadow and light for the cockpit was dim and his entrance was flanked by globes of light. Torches they were, signaling the hero and his steed and his band of champions.

"_Yeah right."_

He glanced for the fifth time at the fuel meter that was practically on empty. The red light was slowly flashing which added to the dance of yellow and green lasers. As long as it doesn't start flashing rapidly he still had enough to get to the nearest fuel pump.

This was Up's personal corvette. Something he took when he could when the higher ups would assign him to the more flexible missions, violent and non-violent alike. Since after the war, the League took away Up's main ship, a frigate, until "there's a dire need for independent use of such a ship-class for a man of your instability."

That was bullshit. And yet they were right. Up was unstable and perhaps unfit to possess a craft like that. Maybe for the rest of his life.

Up sighed.

Instances of the debriefing played back in his mind. What a mess that was. It took a great deal of coaxing for the brass to not blow Bug's face off, let alone to keep off the grunts that he encountered in the halls.

Bug. The first arthropod to become an ambassador. Up wondered how he was faring, some six hundred light years away.

He sighed again, deeper this time. His fingers tapped the controls.

Two years have passed by so quickly. The crew that dropped down on that bug-infested planet was not the crew he had now. There were only three present on the ship for this mission. Tootsie was no longer eligible to stay in service. So he retired with Ultrabeam much closer to home, on Titan to become a mineral driller. Up hasn't heard a word since. Excluding the forty-two second conversation with Specs whom just happened to be part of the terraforming crew on Callisto, one of Jupiter's many moons Tootsie frequents.

Tootsie. What the hell?

Up face palmed himself.

"_You're a Ranger for three days and you retire because you married a robot."_

Up could feel the urge to smoke rising.

"_Least Specs is keeping him in check, I guess. She kinda looked a whole lot different that time...kinda nicer."_

The last of the beacons fell in the distance as the beeped green and Up made sure his trajectory was centered on the planet's day side. He scanned in all directions for any approaching objects. Seeing all was clear, he shut the engines off. It was going to be at least an hour or two before they arrived.

A few seconds later a dull beep resonated from the dashboard. An icon was resonating a soft blue, floating on the translucent keyboard. Up tapped a finger onto the clear panel and a quarter second passed before Up could hear the person inhale slightly on the other end before speaking.

"Hello there. We see you are from G.L.E.E. Eupraxia welcomes you to her skies."

The voice was female and of a smooth timbre.

Up pitched his voice towards the speakers.

"That sounds good, we'll be sightseeing for awhile."

Pause.

"Charting course for most convenient spaceport. Enjoy your stay," the woman said.

Up tapped his finger on the same button and kicked his feet while he waited. He finally caved in and fashioned a cigar from one of his pockets and lit it using an out-of-date zippo lighter. A moment later he increased the ventilation so the smoke wouldn't linger.

From the back another voice rung out and into the cockpit Also a woman. A somewhat more mezzo and edgier tone this one.

"Jou should quit that stuff. Das bad for you, y'know," Taz said. She made her way to the adjacent seat next to Up.

"Sorry honey, didn't know you was awake," Up apologized with a not-so-apologetic tone.

"Irrelevant," she said. "Wanna turn the lights on?"

Up said nothing. Taz made a look of indifference. The dim-lit room was comforting.

"I jus' wanna get this shit over with already," Taz grumbled.

Up looked at Taz for a brief moment before stretching his arms out as he gazed at the ceiling before turning to Taz. "Aw hell, it's not that bad. We'll be cut loose for a lil' while, and Eupraxia is a pretty exciting place anyways."

"Jou gonna coast this boat 'till we get close, yeah?" She asked, steering her tone more softly.

Up nodded. "Mhm."

Taz rubbed her arms as if to ward off a chill. There was the stink of the stale cigar hanging in the air. She would have to take a shower.

Up glanced at her and saw she was looking at the star. A tired yet thoughtful face. Her jaw was clenched straight and her posture modest. She looked beautiful the way the light was hitting her face. Her bandana was absent and her head of hair was flowing more freely.

"Okay," he simply said as he dropped the cigar to the floor and with a soft crunch put it out with his heel. A swirl of smoke floated away and he fanned it opposite of Taz. He let the vents run for another minute to suck out all the fumes before switching them off.

"Say Taz, let's go get some good food or somethin' when we land."

"What kinda food?"

"Ehh, I dunno. How 'bout somethin' spicy? Mexican or whatever. Watcha' feel like?"

Taz shrugged. "Mexican's alright."

"Awesome. Dress provocative too. Somethin' hot. Somethin' that'll make everyone—OW!" Up clenched his shin as Taz retracted her boot from a kick.

"I dress however!" Taz roared and stuck her chin up in the air.

"Okay you're right, my bad."

The two entered comfortable silence once again. This time it was Taz who glanced at Up, who was punching in commands on the console. Up made sure the ships center of gravity was aligned with the path control he was provided earlier before turning the engines off. He waited a moment to make sure the ship stayed it's course. Satisfied he leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet back up.

Taz was watching him work, eying him the whole time. His movements were placid and demeanor reserved. A little too placid and reserved.

"Someting on jou're mind? Jou been acting _tranquilo_ since we jumped from Eps," Taz asked.

Up shook his head.

"Out with it."

Up licked his lips before speaking. Though his lips were wet, his voice was dry and dull.

"Not a whole lot. It'll be two weeks after the drop when we'll havta to report back to HQ. There's not so much incentive for this little errand. And the cargo we have don't seem to be a priority," Up jabbed his thumb towards the elongated metal case in the safe room. The contents inside weren't mentioned and Up couldn't help but wonder the importance (or unimportance) of it as he picked it up from a shop like it was a pawned item. It was that simple: they landed, they got the goods, and left.

"Which kinda makes me feel like we're not a priority."

Taz frowned.

"Almost feels like they're doggin' us, last four missions been the same thing: pick some stuff up, make sure some stuff goes good, or come back with some stuff. And the way the higher-ups act when I'm around. Downright rude and egotistical."

Up corrected himself. "Well, feels like they're doggin ME. You just got back from a fight with some space pirates."

Taz couldn't help but agree. She noticed too that when Up would check on her every now and then, he'd have the same general story. What was Up implying though? Brass didn't think he had what he took anymore? Last time Up was in any sort of battle was a little after Bug planet with a rogue group of Rangers.

"_That was about a year ago," she thought._

"But yeah, I was real glad when you got this job with me. I mean, we're in Alpha company and more and more people show up so it's getting kinda..."

"...crowded," Taz finished.

"I'm just sayin', the brass has me doing peasant work and it's pissin' me off."

Taz could understand that. But Up still wasn't at ease.

"Dat it?"

Up's forehead creased and his lips pulled upward as if deep in thought.

"_He's holding something back."_

"Maybe later. " Up said firmly.

Before she could speak, Krayonder poked his head in. His face was floating in the near-darkness and a perplexing look was plastered on his face.

"Heyyy sir, we're gonna need some more coffee. We're all out, man, " Krayonder said loudly.

Without missing a beat, Up turned around and had his face right in Krayonder's with a wide-eyed look and spoke in equal volume and Taz couldn't help but smirk, already expecting what sort of response Up had for the young soldier.

"Heyyy thanks, guy! You'll get right on it as soon as we land, right boy? Wouldn't wanna get caught eatin' green eggs and ham without some goddamn space coffee now would we?"

Krayonder was totally oblivious to the situation and chuckled, "I guess not sir, haha. You got it." He began to walk out and turned around for another second. "Hey. Uh...nevermind." And with that, Krayonder stumbled out of the cockpit, repeating "space coffee" in a low voice to himself.

"He musta been smokin'," Taz said flatly.

"He should share," Up half-confessed. "Actually probably not."

"Yeah, a lil' _mota _we be down on dat planet forever," Taz said. She spoke almost absentmindedly.

Up regarded her for a moment with a quixotic expression, before turning his attention forward while playing idle day fantasies to such a quaint scenario.

"_I don't need things to help me relax...but to stay here?"_

Up's thoughts returned to the case he was charged with. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. The contents inside the box was not so much importance to him as much is it was important to the people he delivered it to.

He couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: When Taz refers to "Eps," she is referring to Epsilon Eridani, a star system.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2: Ears To The Ground

**Chapter 2 : ****Ears To The Ground**

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><p>They could see grandiose pillars and crowns of buildings growing larger as they navigated past a cluster of ships that were readying to land. A small commercial group they were. Probably not heading to the same spaceport, Up surmised. Thank dead-God because they were monumentally slow.<p>

"Wouldja look at that. Breylot." Up simply said.

The pair could hear Krayonder express his amazement and couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's all blue and purple and...fuck! Consequential, man. Shit's so momentous at a meta-physical level bro."

Taz and Up looked at each other with confused looks.

Krayonder? Talking eloquent?

"Those structures...! Sick!"

"I think Krayonder should jus' stay with the ship," Taz pointed out.

"I don't oppose the idea, lieutenant, but we'll stick this one out together. If somethin' comes up, we'll get Krayonder to stay posted." Up turned to Krayonder. "You got that? Don't be doin' nothin' in here that the great dead-God wouldn't want you to do!"

From the back: "Yes, sir!"

Up banked the ship, nearing the strip of landing.

The spaceport they were landing at was particularly uncrowded. A couple frigates here and there, but the freight ships contributed most of the activity.

HQ expressed that this mission was low-risk, high-reward and that they were to move like civilians. Which meant concealed small-arms and no bullshit. They expressed little concern over the package in itself, just as long as they deliver. At least that's how Taz got the impression. And Up's confession earlier sort of reinforced that.

Not too far from the spaceport they were docking at was an intimidating thing. It was a heavily fortified garrison, which was odd because Breylot wasn't keen on military, especially of this magnitude.

A decade ago, Breylot's army consisted of a single battalion mixed with militia during the war. There were two stations orbiting the planet outfitted with sufficient arms as per Galactic Decree but on the ground there was hardly any conflict. Sure there was law that needed to be upheld but what crimes were there to quell? People came to Breylot to get away and express themselves in comfort or just to vacate awhile away from it all.

But now, Up's experience this time might differ. He noted the new batteries just behind the gray walls and the armored cruisers and low-orbit interceptors lifting off from the landing field. Ship designs Up didn't recognize. The whole place was teeming with activity and if there were other bases like this, there could easily be up to half a dozen legions under the Eupraxian flag.

"_That's different. I guess they grew a backbone."_

In contrast to the looming stronghold, the city-state itself was constructed from a mixture of blue and yellow stones and pale-colored alloys, violet banners splashing across the playful architecture. The plazas of the city were adorned with fantastically carved statues from an exotic melding of unnameable stones. Maybe from an exhaustive list that included an alien form of lapis lazuli, onyx mined from hidden quarries and embellished with other minerals that could only be found from the floating graveyards of icy rocks born from the crash of passing comets encircling certain spheres.

But then that nagging thought came back.

"_I gotta tell Taz what's up."_

Up couldn't bear looking at her at the moment, afraid she'd pick up on his thoughts as if he wore them on his face.

"_It'll be a change."_

"Hey."

"_And I just wanna fight something! Just once! That feeling..."_

"HEY!"

"Ugh?" Up whirled his head to see Taz having a mean-face on.

"Jou just missed the port. Now we gotta turn around."

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

"_...of everyone pulling together against something. Camaraderie."_

A sigh. Up was so out of it, he couldn't tell if it was Taz or if he was the one involuntarily. Or both.

"_I'll be a new man."_

* * *

><p><em>Somewhere outside Breylot<em>

The house was most certainly upper-class and the area was lush with nature. Wooden houses of this kind were very expensive to build so far and away from Earth since the wood would have to be delivered light years away. The outskirts of the city were a series of dark, rolling turquoise plains dotted with isolated sanctuaries and this one was even more secluded from those.

Yellow-berry bushes and whispering posies were clumped in amiable formations around the yard, their aromas and colors delightful. If one were to venture further down the plains they could observe these in the wild. Specs of gold accompanied by fern green bushes. Yellow berries were called ibsas and the posies demthas. Whispering posies were named for their tendency to emit low exhales of air built up along the tiny pores of their stems and on a windy day, symphonies would drone across the fields in natural harmony and in low, peaceful tones. The former, if eaten, were sweet to the senses in small servings, but when consumed in large quantities they left the eater sedated and docile. A hangover consisted of headaches and unexplainable dyslexia. Demthas were not edible, however, but their spiraling blue colors were a sight to admire and brought intelligence and mirth. Twin white ash trees flanked either side of the house, their foliage hiding some of the windows. A child or a small person would have loved to scamper up the tree and tumble through and into the house, looking back down at the drop in simple amazement. Instead they were closed and locked and had no light coming from inside.

The interior of the house was also well decorated and the era it currently presented would have been ancient even four-hundred years ago.

Lavish tapestries from old days on Earth, wooden clocks and shiny things of priceless worth. Blossoms of red and darker crimsons, bronze walls and quiet halls. Antiquarian furnishings and clicking trinkets, silly portraits painting ringlets.

The continental meal that was cooked the night before could still be smelt but only very slightly. The delicious odor lingered out of the kitchen and into the dining and living room shrouded in a darkness that was penetrated by the sun peeking through the tiny slits of drawn shades.

Three persons were strewn about the house in their own ways, deliberately left with the uncaring mindset as one would leave an uprooted shrub of ibsa or demtha forgotten in it's place and left to wilt and wither without attention.

On the couch in the living room, a man of thirty lay on his side. Arm draping down and eyes half-closed as if clinging to a dream. The pillow that his head fell on had bronze tassels smeared with gore and the blood was dry as was the gash on his throat. The second was on top the stairs. Their pool had run like a floodgate threatening to descend down the stairs. Another was in the study and had been the last. This room was built to preserve and appreciate old books written on paper with ink, typed and printed with ugly machines built by the great-grandfathers of their great-great-grandfathers and before. And a woman sat in a chair, her face lying in her open book all limp-like and brown hair disheveled. The book was actually the remains of one but fashioned into a laminated binder of sorts to preserve it's spineless pages. Her eyes were still open, faced to the left as if to read from the book in her final moments.

And a little ways from the study, in the room facing down the hall as the tree outside made the sunlight shimmer slowly. A noise and half of a conversation. A stamping of a pair of boots. The heavy air of an assembly.

"He is here."

"Finally. We go to Ishtar's Gate."

"Yes, sir."

"How soon can we feed these-

-very soon."

"This is a nice manor. Carry the bodies outside, and quickly."

"_Such sweet berries..."_

* * *

><p>"Alright team, go and pull on your civvy threads while I land this bad boy," Up hollered as he pulled down on the control column and readied the landing gear for landing. This ship was outfitted with both an undercarriage and reverse thrusters for vertical movement but he didn't want to chance it.<p>

Taz was already in the cargo room unlacing her boots while Krayonder was pulling open his vacuum-sealed bag of civilian clothing which consisted of jeans and a long-sleeve shirt with a boring company logo.

"Man, what the hell is this? I didn't pack this shit. So weak," Krayonder whined.

He turned his attention to the back of Taz's head, nodding his head upward in her direction.

"Hey man, you got what you brought? Looks like I got jipped..."

She said nothing as she pulled off her tank-top, revealing her bare back and her bra.

Krayonder gulped.

"_Well this is a first... and wow, Up is a fuckin' lucky guy."_

Krayonder snapped out of it and continued to undress. The Commander hadn't come back here yet and he felt kind of awkward to be alone and changing clothes not five feet away from his woman, whom just pulled on her slim-fitting corduroy pants over her white garments. Her nimble body was truly gorgeous, her legs smooth and lithe, and the way her shoulders and muscles moved as she pulled the articles of clothing off before putting on another. And her hair bouncing side to side. Krayonder couldn't help but just stare.

"_She's so pretty."_

"Jou done yet?" Taz asked as she turned around while she adjusted her blouse, perhaps aware he could've stared but couldn't care less

"Ugh, yeah man. I mean, yessir," Krayonder blurted.

"Good. And don't call me 'man', man," she said firmly.

"Sorry, ma-"

Taz glared.

"-'am."

Taz huffed before reaching back to the locker and made sure she had her knife at her side. She brandished a sleek and silvery pistol of a high-caliber, slid it in her pocket-holster and pulled her shirt over it.

"_And her boobs are cute."_

Taz shifted an eye back towards him.

"Get a move on already!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

><p>A sand-haired, broad-shouldered man kept his distance as he watched the starship take it's landing at the port, just half mile away. He turned and made his way briskly through the alleys and into the street to Ishtar's Gate.<p>

"Package has arrived, wait for contact."

"_Roger. We see 'em. Ed's got you a six-minute window once the package is dropped. Stay cool."_

"You think this will work?"

_"What will work?"_

"Up. You think they could make him whole?"

_"The guys at the CC have only made limbs and organs but it's worth a shot."_

"Hmm. If G.L finds out about this..."

_"They won't. The League is full of rats now on a sinking ship."_

"They want him to disappear-"

_-Hence the beauty of this mission and the speed at we must make this op and get him back to the CC._

"The other two. We don't need to be blown away by their ignorance."

_"Up has assured everything will go smoothly. There won't be any discrepancies."_

"There's a chance."

The wind kicked up from the starport and the smell of exhaust and plasma-heated metal washed over the man's nostrils.

"There's always a chance."

* * *

><p>The sun was half-hidden behind a sheet of clouds, and it was a little smaller than the Earth's sun, so it was a relatively cool but a bright day.<p>

"Now then, gang. While the fuel crew is attending to our ship, let us familiarize ourselves with this place," Up said as he tugged at his shirt as if he was admiring his own muscles and hoisted the duffel bag carrying the case over his shoulder.

"See that wall over yonder? That's Ishtar Gate. We'll head that way. And we got enough time, we still have two hours.

Up looked at Taz. "Don't worry dear, we'll get some foody food when we're done yeah?"

They payed the parking fee at the booth which was was run by a short man of European descent. They walked as casual as they could afford to, taking in the scintillating rays that the half-hid sun cast at the far end of the city as it bounced across the skyline. There were no cars in this city, only trolleys and trains and ferries and those were some blocks over as they walked across an overpass. Beneath the bridge was a housing district. Warm air and the smoke from a meal cooking outside came up from the concrete division. The trio continued past a heavily occupied street and through an archway with the words "Bequeath Fortune and Good-thought" carved near the top. The alley was simple enough. Only stone and high windows. But at the other end was yet another teeming street.

Instances of images and sounds came a went in a flurry of activity; a man and woman were selling lapis lazuli ornaments, earrings, and other jewelery. Knives meeting cutting boards and the sloshing of fruit and their juices. Beads and boxes clicking and rattling, children playing and ladies laughing, gentiles conversing and drunkards carousing. Sashes were swishing as they were tied and paper was crinkling as it was wrapped, all the while the wind was making the demthas sing but the hubbub was drowning out their loving drones.

Not too far they could see a statue protruding over the buildings. From here it looked imposing enough, but the view was somewhat tarnished by the throng of merchants and canopies.

A customer was haggling with someone over the price of tobacco leaves. The one listening to the other had a thick cigar clenched between his teeth as he sifted through the dried cinnamon-colored leaves of lovely choya; one of the sweetest known. He dropped a handful of leaves into the man's basket he was carrying which was already full of other objects. The smell was intoxicating.

Up moaned out loud as they walked by, extending his hand. The man under the violet canopy eyed him oddly and wasn't sure what to expect of this. Taz promptly elbowed Up in the side and he retracted his arm and faced back forward.

"Hey, you should reconsider, miss! Dis is fresh, pure choya! Only $20 per leaf! Way better than Galactic Standard!"

Taz scoffed and kept moving, keeping her arm around Up so he wouldn't break from the group.

"_Oh man. TWENTY DOLLARS! I coulda got six dozen leaves for the price of two dozen!"_

Up was crushed. They walked on further down the market before taking a turn further out and away from the district.

"Jou are quitting. Jou need to keep your heart in shape if jou wanna fight wit it," Taz chided.

Krayonder jumped in too, "Yeah boss, you should kick that stuff. Stuff is bad for you, man." Taz started to nod.

"Smoke weed instead!"

Taz stopped nodding. It was several moments before anyone spoke. Krayonder was taking in all the architecture while the commander and lieutenant were discussing.

"Up, jou mind telling me who exactly we givin' this package to?"

"Someone of importance."

"They allies, right?"

"Well yeah."

"What do they do?"

"Military stuff. Science stuff."

"They like us?"

"Sorta."

"Mercs?

"Eh kinda."

"Extremists? Fanatics."

"Oh hell no."

"Suits?"

"No, Taz."

"So what the fuck—_discúlpeme senor—_what the fuck do they do?"

"What's the deal?"

"I just wanna know what's up."

Up was starting to get impatient, Taz noticed.

"They're scientists. Advanced Biology."

"I dunno, man."

"What's up?

"Don't jou think we're over qualified for a little errand like this? Why not get someone else das a techie to give the geek squad their shit?"

"Maybe we are over qualifed."

"And I got this weird feelin, ya know? That weird feelin' that maybe this ain't just a little errand."

"You're right, it does feel peculiar."

"_Goddammit, Taz. You never give up."_

"Don't it? It jus' feels like we're dealin' wit' something dirty and I'm wonderin' if we're just scapegoats. Like what jou was sayin' earlier? On the ship?

"Taz. I want you to not worry about it. Can you do that for me? Whatever happens, happens. It's just like any other assignment so just keep your focus."

Taz looked at Up with a smirk and her step actually kicked up a notch with a little more pep in it.

"'Whatever happens?' Sounds like this op can more than one way. Good to know cuz I was kinda' itching for a fight."

"..."

Krayonder stood behind and between the pair as they shot off at each other back and forth. He kept his distance a little and pretended to not listen. In these kinds of situations just about anything could happen.

The pavement was made of a dark and gray stone, with lapis columns hanging angel's trumpets from it's planters. And on the columns were twisting bas reliefs of soldiers riding horses with lances pointing forward.

"Man they sure like art. This place is like a second Earth if Earth looked like it did in books," Krayonder concluded. "Yeah there's still some ancient shit there, but it's just cool to see it here like this."

Taz could agree on that, while Up already knew.

"Almost like we're in the past," Up said strangely.

They were walking in the shade and in the quiet now. Only a few people here and there, perhaps business folk or a jogger or a tourist couple. Up ahead though, at the end of the street they could view a plaza of some sort basking in the sun. And what looked like a giant leg made of stone. The tall columns and the foliage blocked their most of their view. They could see a shoulder peeking from the side of the building they were looking up at. Whatever it was, it was _tall_.

"Hey that looks big, _hombre_," Taz said.

"Haha, yeah man that's...

Up looked at Krayonder.

"...what I thought too." (...what she said)

Finally they reached the open plaza. And in the center, surrounded by a clear pool of water was one of the large statues they saw earlier when they were above the city. The statue was a woman, a warrior of some sort, hoisting a magnificent sword in one hand as if to cleave an oncoming foe. And in the other, an ornate shield buckle worn at the forearm and carved with dizzying spirals on it's dome. Her garb was simple and consisted of a single flowing robe. And the expression was of reserved candor, the war lust hidden but the beauty of battle form present in her stance. Her high-cheek bones perfect and held parted lips as if she were speaking softly. She could have easily stood next to Guanyin in height and equaled Volgograd in grandeur. A crown of flamboyant hair was swayed to one side and came down to her chin as if she faced the wind.

"Who is that supposed to be?" Krayonder asked.

"Must be some local deity or goddess. I don't remember seeing this before though," Up explained, adjusting the bag on his shoulder.

Taz looked up in wonder at the statue.

"_Esa grande_," Taz murmured.

"Kinda familiar sorta," Krayonder blurted out.

"See that over there?" Up pointed, waking them from the reverie.

The other two followed his finger and saw the protruding structure, saw the double-gate made of metal and sapphire alloys standing down the vista.

"That's Ishtar Gate. Almost three-hundred yards from here. There are alleyways on either side of the street but I want one of you in the plaza with a full view."

"Okay."

"There'll be at least three or four of 'em."

"No problem."

"If anything happens, I want you two to fall back to the ship and report to headquarters ASAP."

Taz's jaw clenched. The possibility of being separated raked her mind for a brief moment. Now she wished she had her rifle and not this pistol if Up was even mentioning the chance of a snag like that. Not even a snag; complete failure.

"_I'm not leaving your ass here."_

Up shifted his gaze toward Taz, already knowing what she was thinking. And she wouldn't say a word.

"_Something I gotta do."_

* * *

><p>Author's Notes : This is really different than how I originally perceived this chapter. It was supposed to be more romantic and less dark but I figured I'd cut straight to the chase with a little inner turmoil and some impending action. I sort of rushed some stuff and I'm actually thinking of going back and adding some more dialogue to this and the first chapter. Anyway, I'll be changing the name of the story to something less hug 'n kissy-like but I just don't know what. I like the title name and will keep it for an important chapter though. Read and Review! And maybe throw some suggestions as to how you might like the story to move, I'd like to know what you the reader would like to see.<p> 


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